Bullying is a threat to business. Part 2

Bullying – organized harassment of one or more employees, a distinctive feature of which is the presence of a pronounced leader. According to the latest research, there are no companies left in the modern world that are completely free from various forms of pressure.

In the previous article, we talked about the general statistics of “victims” of violence in the office. Today we will talk about the numbers: how much does bullying “cost” for the average organization?

Axiom: any harassment means a drop in productivity. For example, a victim who fights off attacks from colleagues spends at least 7 hours a week in vain. And this is without taking into account the general decrease in work efficiency, which leads to a constant stay in a stressful situation. Over the course of a year, including sick days (the frequency of which is inevitably increasing), and going on vacation, without which an exhausted employee simply can not do, the number of “underworked” hours can accumulate from 200 to 400.
It is extremely difficult to estimate how much time the “beaters” spend on merciless harassment, but it is obvious that part of the day paid for by the employer is also spent on such “entertainment”.

The damage in money amounts to about $ 8,800, per victim per year. This is the amount that the company simply spent on an employee who is unable to perform their duties due to bullying. Business owners should not forget about the collateral damage, such as: failed transactions, broken deadlines, and endless reworking of the same tasks. Such problems can at one time lead to losses of tens and hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Another problem is employee turnover. The victim, sooner or later, resiresignsm the company. And the memories of the employer will not be the rosiest. For the business owner, this will result in two difficulties. Firstly, we will have to urgently plug the holes, and search for and train a candidate for the vacant position. And, secondly, to correct the image in the information field. After all, the anger and resentment experienced during the period of humiliation will definitely spill out on the forums and in all sorts of “black lists”.

You can avoid losing valuable financial and human resources and avoid a number of problems by identifying “non-statutory” working relationships in a timely manner. Do not expect the employee to come and tell you everything. Walking around the office, confidentially looking into the eyes of the staff in the hope of hearing the truth about the team, is also not the best solution.
It is much more effective to use modern personnel monitoring systems. They will not take up too much time from the manager, dragging their heads into local scandals, intrigues and investigations. And they will quickly provide objective information that is not clouded by emotions and biased personal attitude.

The first stage of studying the situation in the team is the search for deviations and the analysis of behavior patterns. Sudden or gradual changes in the algorithms of personnel actions clearly indicate the presence of danger. It’s not necessarily about bullying. But if an employee suddenly starts to work worse, he is clearly affected by some external or internal factors. Don’t want to bring the situation to a crisis? Understand the root causes as soon as possible.

The second stage is a detailed study of possible risks. This will help the analysis of correspondence in mail and messengers. Hidden or pronounced hostility is a clear marker of the beginning of bullying. It is important not only to find the “leader-instigator”, but also his accomplices. To identify the bullying cell, “Connection Graph” will be suitable, which will quickly detect active communications between “aggressors” within the company.

The third stage is the study of the psychological state of the staff. Under pressure, any person falls into stress, which can be recorded by analyzing the keyboard handwriting. The threat is not only bullying: all reactive states are extremely dangerous, both for the health of employees and for the business as a whole. After all, they can lead to all sorts of emergencies.
A normal, healthy atmosphere is the key to effective work of the company. Unfortunately, the manager is not an all-seeing deity and cannot physically keep track of all the staff. The only way to avoid financial damage and a number of undesirable problems is to use modern tools for analyzing the actions of employees. Such digital systems, without significant material and time costs, will control all areas of employees ‘ life, identify a risk situation in a timely manner and nip it in the bud.